Wednesday, December 4, 2013

INTERNATIONAL YOUTH PEACE SUMMIT 2013

30th November 2013


Written By
Syeda Tehniyat Bukhari
Kinnaird College





Lahore- Under the auspices of Kafka Welfare Organization, the International Youth Peace Summit 2013 (IYPS’13) was held at Al-Hamra Arts Complex today. The event was designed to encourage confab, inquest and self-reflection among the youth thematically focusing on the“Role of Youth in Peace Development”

After the customary recitation of the Holy Quran, the hosts as well as delegates paid allegiance to the national anthem. Anchorperson RJ Zuhair introduced the Kafka Welfare Organization and outlined the agenda for the day. A panel discussion comprising Mr. RizwanSherwani(Director Excise and Taxation), Mr. SaeedKhokhar (Advocate High Court), Taranjeet Singh (TV Anchor) and renowned writer Rukhsana Noor hosted by youth icon Miss Quratulain kick started the event.


“Peace is not a goal but a continuous journey.” – Taranjeet Singh

“Law abiding citizens and law abiding societies are the building blocks of peace.” SaeedKhokhar outlined the role of youth in revolutions and peace building measures with reference to the Arab Springs.“Youth is not just an entity. It is a dream - an idea. When heirarchy fails, each individual self is responsible to lead the society”, quoted Rukhsana Noor, renowned writer as she followed Mr. Khokhar in the panel discussion. “Religious, vertical and horizontal divisions can be overcome by converging leadership”, said RizwanSherwani as he sketched the diagnostics for peace building measures.

“Never give up even if you lose”. Miss Kiran Khan, legendary Youth icon and the first ever Pakistani female to become an Olympic gold medalist swimmer narrated her success story. Mr. Waqas Ahmad talked to the delegates on how young individuals from amongst them could become “Agents of Change”.

The second half of the event was taken up by the Kafka Youth Icon Awards Ceremony in which prominent youth activists were awarded for their contributions and feats. Maryam Azeem (Youth Parliament Pakistan) also graced the event and gave profound insights on the role of youth in peace-building measures and focused on how each individual could catalyze the process of peace and conflict resolution.The delegates were seen enthusiastically interacting during her session. Jawad Ahmad, Chief Guest of IYPS’13 delivered an inspiring speech on capitalism, feudal system, energy crises and conflict resolution in Pakistan. The cake-cutting ceremony was followed by a live guitar and singing performances by Vicky and Ballaaj.

An iconic event, the International Youth Peace Summit 2013 provided a platform for connecting youth-based social change efforts across all lines of difference, unleashing the collaborative power and collective action of today’s younger generation.




IYPS’13 is the first ever international youth peace summit in Lahore, an initiative by Kafka Welfare Organization. KWO is a non-profit organization established by a group of motivated individuals who aim at addressing the socially disadvantaged communities of Pakistan. These individuals work on a volunteer basis and cater to issues like women abuse and gender discrimination which is prevalent in the Pakistani society at large.

For more information, please visit http://kafkawo.blogspot.com/


Contact Us
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Kafka.Welfare.Organization
Email: Kafkawo@gmail.com

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